97 XLT SOHC, just starting out

[bplein]

So, I'm buying the wife a new car, and I get to take her grocery-getter '97 XLT.

Obviously, it is bone stock.

4.0 SOHC
4WD (Auto)
Tow kit (includes limited slip rear, and tranny cooler)
Stock tires (235-75-R15 on factory aluminum)

I want to make it a little more compentant off road. Not a rock crawler, just a bit more able so I can throw a couple of rifles and a fishing rod in the back and go exploring on public trails.

Here's my plan, please comment:

1) Warrior schackles
2) Torsion twist
3) 31x10.5 tires
4) new shocks
5) skid plate ?

The first 2 will get me a much needed 2" of additional clearance under the diffs. The second will get me another inch. I need new shocks anyhow. The last is optional.

I've gotten the above configurations from posts on these forums. It seems pretty standard as the mild way to upgrade a '97 XLT. Comments? Can I get more tire under it if I have the shackles and torsion twist? I don't want to do anything more invasive in the suspension, as this is still a 98% road vehicle.

Finally, what are the recommendations for shocks? My local dealer (who I have an above average trust in) says go with Tokico for ride, or Rancho for adjustability. Any thoughts on the shocks?

Tires: Again, mostly a street vehicle, but I want competant off road also. I have Big-O AT's on it now, and when I go up in size, some of my choices include the Big-O AT, the BFG AT/KO, and the new Yokohamo Geolander AT. Any comments? (btw, I'm a black sidewall type of guy, not a RWL, so cosmetics of the lettering are not important to me. Looks, for the most part, aren't either)

Finally, any comments on a skid plate or other recommended armor? (grin).

 

[bplein]

One more thing...

How can I tell what gearing this truck has? I assume that the transfer case only has one standard ratio for 4WD-low, but did the '97 come with optional rear end ratios?

Other info:

I use this truck to tow a small boat (17.5' 140HP I/O), so I'm upgrading to a proper trailer receiver, up from the 3000lb rated bumper job.

Other uses are to run up to the snow. I live in the California foothills outside Sacramento, so Tahoe is just an hour and a half away.

Pretty mild stuff. But the stock '97 is very mild to begin with, so I need some hints to put a little hair on its chest (grin).

 

[Stephen S]

"The first 2 will get me a much needed 2" of additional clearance under the diffs. The second will get me another inch."

The mods you described are almost exactly what I want to do to mine. But, from what I have learned here, the torsion twist and shackles WILL NOT add ground clearance under the rear differential. They will only allow for you to mount larger tires, which DO add ground clearance. 31x10.50s fit on a stock 97 Explorer, so if you do decide to do the T Twist and the shackles, maybe you should consider larger tires.

About the gearing, you could find the code on the door sticker and then go here to check what gearing you have: http://www.users.qwest.net/~ntrpriz/main.htm

 

[bplein]

You are right about the rear differential... that was a brain fart of mine. It gets me 2" of clearance under the rear bumper and rocker panels.

I wonder how tall I can go on the tire with the shackles and the torsion twist? I've been told by my dealer that the max on a STOCK Explorer is 30-9.50, not 31-10.5, but then again we have more collective Explorer experience on this board than my local tire guy (grin).

Thanks for the info, btw, I'll check it out!

 

[Stephen S]

Well, according to this board and a few Explorers I have seen, 31x10.50s fit under a stock 95+ Explorer. With the extra 2 inches you plan on getting, you may be able to go taller. Do a search for torsion twist, shackles, 2 inch lift or whatever. You should find bunches of stuff. I'm not sure exactly how tall you can go without fender trimming or other modification, but I'm sure it's here on the boards somewhere.

Good luck and let us know what you plan to do. Happy to be of some help!!

 

[ExplorerEB96]

ok

I run 32" 11.50 with my torsion twist, shackles just fine...4:10 gearing....look out for a slight (very minute) HP loss though... I have Bridgestone Dueler MT's

Karol
explorereb96@ford-trucks.net

 

[bplein]

32-11.50, that sounds great too! What size wheel you running.... I was hoping to keep my stock Explorer aluminum wheels (15", not sure the width).

 

[Ray Lobato]

Your stock wheels will work just fine on 32's. Karol is right . You should be able to run 32's with just the torsion bar twist and shackles or add-a -leafs. I would however suggest that you try the Old Man Emu 2" lifted rear springs. They will give a much better ride and also give better articulation. They aren't cheap, but are well worth the money.

 

[bplein]

Do you have a URL to some place that sells or describes these?

Thanks for the pointers...

[edited later...]

Oh, found them at ARB's site. I'll investigate. Thanks for the tip!

 

[ExplorerEB96]

rims

I have 15" 8.5"W American racing black steel rims..... I think they are nice!! but some don't like the steel look ...they rather have the chrome (personally I don't mind messing up my steel rims offroading....I have my chrome OEMs in my shed with 32" BFGoodRich A/T KOs mounted on them)

Karol
explorereb96@ford-trucks.net

PS I had NTB mount the 32s...take my truck off the lift...ride back and forth in their garage...turning the wheels every which way to see if they rubbed... they didn't so I kept them.....most "good" tire guys will let you trial them out at least in their garage...

 

[go off road]

ExplorerEB96

how close are tires from hitting the inner fenders on turns if you had a body lift do you think 33 11.50 15 would fit? Thanks

Wade

 

[ExplorerEB96]

well

maybe a body lift will get you there ...maybe not....but you can always use spacers....well if you don't want to do anything extreme like rockcrawling (although you'd probably need more flex for that anyway..but thats another subject we 95-up can forget right now anyway) I have about 1" 1 1/2" gap so it's not a problem.... I had some of em scratching their heads about it though.....they shouldn't have fit that great....I'm not sure if the XLT and the Eddie Bauer are that different .....I know they should be the same <shrug> like I said just go fit the tires and see....I had my steering turned full both ways and no rubbing and about an inch..inch and a half of space...

oh btw....when you do the shackles or add a leafs....make sure you check your shocks (even the third one) for the famous explorer sag....that might help any rubbing problems you may have in the rear....

Karol
explorereb96@ford-trucks.net

 

[briantf]

Sorry to be late to the party

My wife's 98 XLT 4x4 has the torsion twist and Warrior shackles. There's enough extra room with 31x10.5r15 BFG AT KO's that her first question after I brought her truck back was "next time, can we get 32's??"

She has gotten slight rubbing with the 31's with the rear tires stuffed to the stops (don't ask), but it's not bad. 32's are wider, but will still fit on the stock aluminum rims, and they should protect them a little better than the 31's do.

This is her 2nd set of KO's, I took her first set with 20K on them and put them on AR-767's for my 97 Ranger. I can fit 32's, so I have two cycles of tires to wait until I run 32's on the street.

Given the choice between the KO's and any other AT, I would go for the KO's. They're the best offroad of any AT I've seen (Pirelli Scorpion AT's, Goodyear Wrangler AT/S, Big-O brand AT's, and certainly the shoddy Firestone Wilderness AT's), they're very reasonably priced ($112-113, no more, no less), and they come with a real mileage warranty (40K - REAL miles, with 20K they are less than half gone).

You'll never keep up with muds offroad, but if you run a single set of tires, the KO's are the way to go.

 

[bplein]

So you think that I should go with:

Torsion Lift
Warrior Shackles
32x11.5-15

?

Sounds great, if you think the 32x11.5 will work for me.

 

[briantf]

What's your axle ratio?

Assuming (that word again) that 97's are like 98's, you have a 3.73 rear end along with your limited slip. Taller tires will affect your acceleration and your speedometer accuracy.

Our experience has been that the drop in acceleration isn't bad, and certainly worth the clearance. bplein was right on the money that the extra clearance from the lift alone is worthwhile - my main concern has been the expensive catalytic converters hanging down there in the breeze, along with the $750 or so of a/c condenser and radiator lounging beneath the front bumper.

A twist/shackle lift will help both (a front receiver hitch is the best insurance for the front), even if you kept the 30" tires.

Because offroad performance is an issue, striking a balance between street performance and offroad kicks means making sure you drive your truck like the tall tippy truck it is. Taller tires + lift means you can't drift it into the onramps like you used to. GJarrett wrote an excellent summary about that SOMEWHERE - I lost the link.

Find a tire store manager with a brain that will put the tires on, try them out at 32 and see if they work for you. If they don't, 31's work great too, and the tire guy has still sold $500 worth of rubber to you.

Have fun!
Brian

 

[bplein]

Re: What's your axle ratio?

Originally posted by briantf

A twist/shackle lift will help both (a front receiver hitch is the best insurance for the front), even if you kept the 30" tires.

Cool, thanks for the tips.

Anyone know any links to font-receiver hitch vendors? I'm intersted in this as I have a boat and this would be an easier way to get it down my driveway (downhill with a turn) than the classic way.

Also, a cool trick is a hitch-mounted winch... leave it in the garage when you are daily-driving, and then mount it on the front or rear hitch when you go off road, and you can move it to the end of the vehicle you need it on.

 

[briantf]

Reese made the front receiver I put on

I ordered it through my local Kragen's b/c shipping from the online http://www.reesehitches.com/ was alot. It was only $120 or so from Kragens. I picked Reese b/c I liked the tubular rear receiver I put on.

http://www.reeseprod.com/ is where I got the part numbers.

I'm waiting on a Draw-Tite front receiver for my Ranger, so they probably have them for Explorers as well (Reese didn't have a Ranger part).

Since my wife asked about a winch, I didn't even have to bring it up, my evil master plan is to get a reciever mounted winch and four connection kits, for the front and rear of both our trucks.

Just having the hitches there makes recover much simpler and safer, but the winch will be an added bonus.

 

[bplein]

Re: Sorry to be late to the party

Originally posted by briantf
My wife's 98 XLT 4x4 has the torsion twist and Warrior shackles. There's enough extra room with 31x10.5r15 BFG AT KO's that her first question after I brought her truck back was "next time, can we get 32's??"

She has gotten slight rubbing with the 31's with the rear tires stuffed to the stops (don't ask), but it's not bad. 32's are wider, but will still fit on the stock aluminum rims, and they should protect them a little better than the 31's do.

This is her 2nd set of KO's, I took her first set with 20K on them and put them on AR-767's for my 97 Ranger. I can fit 32's, so I have two cycles of tires to wait until I run 32's on the street.

I'm concerned that I wouldn't be able to fit a 32" tire as a spare, especially with a trailer receiver.

 

[Robert]

Since the spare tire well is the same on your 4-door as it is on my 2-door the only way you will get a 32" tire under there is if you deflate it. My factory 225 70R15 spare tire is against my round tube Hidden Hitch. Mine came with 255 70R16 tires but the smaller spare. I seem to remember trying to put one of my 16" tires underneith before I put on the hitch and it wouldn't fit right.

 

[billy d]

Im just wondering if there has been any problems with the T Twist? Does it wear out any of the front suspension components prematurely, or too much stress on any parts? Or will it eventually sag at all? Tell me your experiences. Thanks